Разработчик: Blind Sky Studios
Описание
Explore Mandagon, a world inspired by Tibetan theology and philosophy. With a focus on life and death, discover what it means to make a true sacrifice.
Traverse a vivid interpretation of Bardo, the Tibetan word for limbo. Learn what experiences brought you there and what forces pull you through . . .
- Non-linear exploration in a 2D world
- Immersive environment
- Atmospheric sound design
- Emphasis on in-game storytelling
- Narrative led experience
This little DLC pack contains a digital art book pdf showcasing in-game art, concept art and other thematic illustrations.
The soundtrack will consist of a single 22 minute composition designed as a meditation aid or guide. Provided in flac and mp3 format.
We’ve also included 4 desktop backgrounds in 16:9 (1920 x 1080) and 16:10 (1920 x 1200)
Lastly there’s a ‘print and build a paper cube fella’ A4 printout for the arts and crafty types out there!
To locate the DLC please follow these instructions -
Right click (Ctrl+Click on Mac) Mandagon in your library, then select Properties>Local Files>Browse Local Files. This should take you right there.
Поддерживаемые языки: english
Системные требования
Windows
- OS *: Windows 7
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8Ghz or equivlant
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4600
- DirectX: Version 9.0
- Storage: 300 MB available space
Mac
- OS: Yosemite
- Processor: 1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5000
- Storage: 300 MB available space
Отзывы пользователей
Short and pretty puzzle platformer. Not really challenging, but still a fun, relaxing playthrough. Definitely worthwhile if you like games like Fez.
Cleared in ~30min.
Pixel-art masterpiece, enthusiasts like me would adore this to death.
Atmosphere is almost the same as FEZ, even the ambient track sounds alike.
Gameplay-wise, it's a typical non-linear platformer, but with rhymes.
Cool game, give it a try.
A nice relaxing game you can complete in your lunch break. If you're into atmospheric games, you won't regret the time and zero bucks you spent on this.
Once you're through, if you're looking for a game with similar style but a little more content to it, try Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP.
It is an incredible puzzle adventure platformer that is very entertaining and immersive. It took me an hour to beat and it is absolutly worth playing. I can't beleive it is free! The pixel art is very pretty, the level design is super cool and the soundtrack is beautiful. I am not in any way a paid promoter, my review is personal and not influenced by any body. I loved the game and I totally recommend it.
Cool atmosphere, not a whole lot to do in the game though. Walk around and collect some objects, put them on pedestals and you're done. I really like the art direction and hope to see more from them in the future. Sadly an exploration game like this has very little replay value, so it's really just very short. Fun to spend half an hour on.
I chose to play this game because it looked very appealing visually. And it definitely is.
The gameplay is short, nothing is explained and there is no tutorial, just how I like it. You figure things out on your own.
The OST matches the creepy vibe.
All in all, a great f2p game. 8/10.
When an indie title describes itself as philosophical, I anticipate a self-indulgent exercise on the part of the developer, dragging the hapless player through a bloated exhibit entitled "Look how deep I am!"
Thankfully, Mandagon is not particularly philosophical at all, but rather loosely based on some elements of Tibetan religion. What that produces is a quite relaxing puzzle-platformer with an enchantingly mystical atmosphere.
It's short. It's good. It's free. What's not to love?
It seems rare to find games that are this intricately detailed, and clearly lovingly crafted. It's rarer that these games are free.
Mandagon is a short experience, but if you ever find yourself with an hour in the afternoon, let yourself enjoy the serene soundtrack and find your way through the temple door.
The game is really, really beautiful, as you can see from the screenshots!
Even though it looks a bit crude (looks jagged in movement, some patterns seem a bit flattened, etc.), there are tons of intricate patterns I really like!
The music is a bit strange, with some details I enjoyed (the birds and bells, for example), but I wasn't aware of it, for the most part. So yeah, wasn't good nor bad, for me.
The game itself is the worst part, since, despite a beautiful and rather large "world" (the game is short, it's only "large" in the context of a single room/level), it's just about jumping on platforms and using lifts to get to several tablets spread around the game.
The platforming isn't challenging at all (you're quite slow in the air), and most of the jumps are very forgiving, giving you a fair window for error.
There are no mechanics at all, other than a single jump.
So yeah, you can imagine it being very stale. It's just about moving around, with the most basic movement system you could think of.
The only challenge here is orientation, since the game only lets you see the map in specific spots, so you can get lost, or miss something and forgetting where it might have been.
The other aspect I should mention is the whole "Tibetan theology/philosophy". I think what they wanted to say was "imagery", because there's nothing meaningful about philosophy or theology here. And nothing apparently that relates to a particular way of thinking.
There are some cryptic lines spread around the game, but you never have to use or understand them. So... no.
Maybe there are some environmental clues I'm missing? Maybe... but even if there are, they're completely isolated from the *game*, making them irrelevant.
If it was just about imagery, well... they should set different expectations in the description, I guess.
The game isn't too bad, and it's free, so nothing's stopping you from giving you a go.
I just didn't find anything interesting in it aside from the art-style, so I'll give it a no.
I'm interested in their future projects regardless! With more experience, something better may come!
To summarize things: Mandagon is - in my opinion - a beautifully made game with a lot of thought and heart put into it.
ART - 9.5/10
I love, love, love pixel art, so I am probably biased, but I thought the art in this game was amazing. There is so much detail and I enjoyed every little bird, plant, the shrines, the big temple, the houses, the water, the snow ... should I go on? It has a very distinct Tibetan touch and it makes you feel like you got teleported into a little pixel Himalayan region. It's absolutely beautiful.
MUSIC - 8/10
The music sounded ominous and a little disharmonic and spooky, but kinda ... ethereal? I found it to be very fitting in regards to the place and the story.
STORY - 8/10
The more wisdom totems you speak to, the better you can figure out what's going on. I do not want to spoil anything for anyone, but there is symbolism around to help you understand too (the six big murals/pictures on the walls as you ascend in an elevator) and if you pay a little attention to any of the totems, the ending of the game will make you go 'ahh, I knew it was about xy'. It's not very hard to follow but nice to figure out imo. I enjoyed it and it fit the atmosphere and feeling of the game.
CONTROLS - 7/10
Some people are whining about how hard and unforgiving the jumps are, but I found them to be very forgiving and only messed up one jump in ~60 minutes of playing. Besides the 'tricky jumping', the controls were easy to adapt to.
Suggestions/bugs:
Controller optimization was a little messed up as both X and A made you jump, although X was supposed to be the action button, so it made taking elevators pretty much impossible as you would just jump instead of ride, over and over again. Additionally, if you weren't holding down on right or left while taking one of the glowing elevators, it would take you up and then down again, without letting you get off.
Definitely play with keyboard and mouse!
OVERALL - 8/10
It's pretty, it's relaxing, it's only about an hour long, and well, it's free! I found it well worth the time and was actually a bit sad it was so short. I will be buying the DLC because I enjoyed the game a lot and I'd love to see some more games by Blind Sky Studios.
A Relaxation Game for the Already Calm or Pensive...
a game that both requires and reaffirms a strangely specific state of mind.
For those who wanted find out more about this game's inspriaion and meaning, you can visit Buddhist website-Tricycle: https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/explore-the-bardos-in-mandagon-a-video-game-inspired-by-tibetan-buddhism
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Confession: I need to say that I'm definitely not in the right mindstate when I tried out this game, and had to abandon it since this game has little room for a preoccupied mind.
Some of my overall positve experience
- Easy to control - you don' die from falling since you're already in limbo
- Beautifully designed map and environment
- Simple but breathtaking, calming environment
- Mastery of solemn undertone without being grim or "morbid"
- Love the use of colours - quite similar to colours used in ancient Eastern art
Personal Peeve & Disappointment
- - Unfortunately dislike the phrases/poem lines - Not my cup of tea: resembles the style of the horribly translated proverbs taken out of cultural context eg. Hippie's application of the Daodejing/Book of Tao
[*]- Expected more puzzles or interaction - mostly because people said it's adventurous & philosophical
Conclusion:
Even though I have some peeves, I have to admit that it's a well made, simple atmospheric genre game.
It would also be interesting to see this game being translated to different languages, predominantly to languages of regions where Buddhism is a common practice.
If your mind is often filled with darting thoughts, need for constant action and interaction, feeling aggressive and irritated, you won't like this game at all.
its an instant recommandation from me, and its free and a pretty small size so you have no excuse to give it a go.
This game goes to show quality and presentation always trumps over the relevancy of game length.
It may be short, but that doesn't mean this game is forgettable, far from it. You have to play it for yourself to see what I mean.
gave me "The Talos Principle" game vibe to it which I instantly really liked (and I loved that game alot).
This is a little platformer centered around exploration, as there's no enemies to fight. The main goal of the game is to find six tablets scattered around the map and take them to specific spots, in order to unlock a giant door. What I find interesting about this game is that it's really atmospheric, with a great art style, and a nice soundtrack, all of which combines to provide a really soothing experience.
The game itself is really short, but I'd say that's good for what it's trying to achieve, so I recommend it.
It's always bittersweet to find a free game that you want more of. Such is the case with Mandagon, a 2D exploration game set in a Tibetan vision of limbo. You don't know why you're there or what you're doing or why you're a cheeful-looking stone head that can jump, but all will be revealed as you wander the serene temples and ruins of this magical place. There's no real puzzling to do, other than sussing out the story from the cryptic rhymes shared by ancient statues, but the exploration is more than enough to keep you engaged for as long as it lasts.
The heart of Mandagon's appeal is its environment and atmosphere, which would be remarkable even for a full-priced game. The graphics are finely-detailed pixel art, showing off every crack and bit of moss on stones and every groove in the pillars holding the place aloft. You'll start your adventure in a stony valley of pools and cliff dwellings, but soon your adventure will take you to etherial ruins floating in the sky, their banners and wind chimes tossing gently in the breeze. With no enemies to harangue you and no challenging platforming to speak of, the art turns Mandagon into a peaceful trek across a gorgeous and fantastic world.
It's not a big world, of course, and you should be able to see all its sights in 30 minutes or so. Your goal is to place six tablets back in their proper places, and there aren't a whole lot of places where they could be hidden. The arches where the tablets must be placed also serve as the fast travel points, making it easy to get back to where you need to be at any time. You won't find any abilities or upgrades, just shortcuts to activate and one special travel method high up in the ruins. There are a few little secrets tucked away that also build on the excellent atmosphere as well.
The story's not bad but it's told in terribly vague terms, so unless you want to really puzzle out the rhymes you'll just be here for the journey. And it's an absolutely lovely, imaginative journey for the short time it lasts, so there's no reason not to give it a go if you like exploring. This feels like a title for people who loved the Knytt games, because it definitely pushes a lot of the same buttons for me. Here's hoping Mandagon's creators are hard at work on a full game, because this little slice of heaven left me hungry for more.
Did you enjoy this review? I certainly hope so, and I certainly hope you'll check out more of them at https://goldplatedgames.com/ or on my curation page!
At first glance the game seems like it would be a letdown - You're thrown into the world of MANDAGON with little explanation as to why you are, how you are, or which microscopically small pixels are YOU. Yet it's easy to warm to MANDAGON quickly, despite the chilly-looking landscape. The game map is small, and the game itself can be completed in well under an hour, but it handles that scale well. The gameplay is just diverse enough to keep you interested, and makes sure to end things at just the right time instead of dragging or cutting too early. Likewise, the music and artstyle aren't particularly flashy - but everything is where it needs to be, which makes for a simple, yet enjoyable experience.
If I had to think of any cons to this game, it would be inconsistent controlling, especially around the water areas for some odd reason. But that's a nitpick at worst.
I'd highly recommend this game to anyone interested. (Especially since it's free.)
short game
great art
great sounds
relaxing
weird atmosphere
finally a game with a soul of its own
11/10
Ahh the beauty of Indie games. 2016 has been an incredible year for me in terms of Indie games I have had the chance to find and play, both old and recent. The games I have played throughout 2016 had helped remind me time and time again of my passionate love for video games and my never ending search for the next story.
Although released in 2016, Mandagon was the indie game that started 2017 for me, and oh boy was it one hell of a beautiful game!
Created by developer Blind Sky Studios, a small UK games studio composed of four coffee loving people, Mandagon is a short and free indie, adventure and pixel styled game inspired by Tibetan theology and philosophy, in which the focus is Bardo, the Tibetan word or version for “Limbo”.
In Mandagon you play as a sort of statue or part of a totem, and you explore and climb a sort of temple, in which you are given samples of a story about a man, his daughter, and a choice. Although Mandagon is quite straightforward in its gameplay and purpose, a rather simple and not particularly challenging gameplay of hopping your way to the top and around to access the inside of a temple, the mystery of the story is what will give you the desire to keep hoping, to find out what is on the other side, and, ultimately, what will make you keep thinking about Mandagon even after you are finished with its story.
There are also two other elements of Mandagon that caught my attention and still has it, the aesthetic of the game and its soundtrack. Although simplistic at first glance, Mandagon is an incredibly gorgeous game in which I encourage you to stop at times and observe your surroundings. See how tapestries move with the wind, the birds flapping their winds, and every other sparkle of color and detail that were a very welcomed surprised for a free game. The soundtrack of Mandagon was also a surprise. A single 22 minute composition seemingly designed for you to meditate your way through the universe, the story and the game, with themes of contemplation and sacrifice. Though available for free on steam at the moment, a digital art book, soundtrack and extras are available as a package for 4.43$ on steam, which I highly recommend not only because it’s awesome, but because I truly believe that Mandagon has too much to offer to be a free game.
In the hour or so that I spent in its universe, surrounded by its music and its themes or death, life, purpose and sacrifice, Mandagon gave me more than hours and hours long game have been giving me: it gave me an experience.
10/10 – Will purchase the art and OST package, and would purchase anytime if it means putting my money where it belongs, in the pocket of true artists.
I was very impressed with the small things that moved while having that 8 bit texture to it. The windchimes and flags were very nice and broke that 2D feeling. The graphics were great and while there's really no story to follow it's a cute platformer that's free so I can't see who wouldn't recommend it. I hope the developers decide to make another game.
Mandagon (mantis/panda/dragon) teleports you straight away to a Tibetan Buddhist concept known as 'Bardo' a limbo place between death and rebirth. Buddhists mainly believe that if you do good deeds you get rebirthed into a higher lifeform or do bad deeds and your soul will get rebirthed into a lower life form.
The objective of the game is to simply find six keys and a number of totems (optional) and open the big door where you will find a 'god' who will then cast his vote. The totems give you back ground information as to your background story as you can't tell much just by looking at yourself since you look like an Aztec version of pacman.
Tom Kitchen the main designer behind this game, suffered a family loss in death and looking through various answers though he is not a religious man himself found 'some' comfort in the Tibetan book of the dead and it's the information from that which gives you the background information to your game character as well as to what may have helped Tom get through his grieving process and helped him to move on with his life.
Since morality is an integral part of all of our lives, improving ourselves, being our better self, ascension will at some point play an essential role in both our needs and desires. Likewise this game is all about ascension, moving up (forward) to find answers. Tom Kitchen is all for 'exploring' concepts of an afterlife. Unfortunately only one concept is displayed in this game and I would have been equally impressed if the game went onto explore other concepts, Mormon, Hindu, JW, Catholic, Atheist, phansigar. Maybe that could be a sequel. But the game does do more than just explore afterlife, it also explores the concept of what sacrifice really means too.
While this is a free game there is also some DLC available for purchase. It consists of one soundtrack, some art concepts that never made it into the game and finally it places the totem poem in its correct order so it makes sense.
I appreciate that Tom Kitchen was able to move forward as I also looked into Buddhism and read the 'book of the dead', but personally I was never able to get my head around one thing. I haven't always been a good person, so there is always a good chance according to their beliefs that I could come back as a lower life form. Ok fair enough. I have come to appreciate that things like stealing, lying, murder is bad. So here is my question. How can one be a good crocodile or a bad crocodile? Once you started going down in life forms surely you’re doomed!?
A free game that offers an interesting self-meditation on one's morality. Below is the entire game and all totems though I didn't at the time of playing realised that I found all totems...
https://youtu.be/PRZEJWMXvdo
Free achievments pretty much.. took me 45 mins to get all 5 achievments. Game itself is ok, do not expect very much for gfx as it reminds me of nintendo style games. Good game for achievment hunters and another easy perfect game!
Дополнительная информация
| Разработчик | Blind Sky Studios |
| Платформы | Windows, Mac |
| Ограничение возраста | Нет |
| Дата релиза | 24.01.2025 |
| Отзывы пользователей | 94% положительных (103) |